The NAZ insists on urgent field trials due to the gray corn hawkweed.

The National Association of Grain Producers (NAZ) once again brings to the agenda one of the most serious phytosanitary problems in Bulgarian agriculture – the mass spread of the gray corn borer (Tanymecus dilaticollis) and the lack of effective means of control over the pest. In recent years, the pest has been covering an increasingly wide perimeter of the country's territory and causing serious damage to corn and sunflower crops. In 2025, a series of surveys and questionnaires were conducted among farmers, and the data show an alarming picture – over 60% of the surveyed areas have an infestation above the economic damage threshold, and in some regions, the damaged areas reach up to 35%, the association said in a media statement. NAZ: The most affected are areas in Northern Bulgaria, where the soil and climatic conditions favor the development of the pest. The problem is exacerbated by climate change, which supports the increase in its population. Last year, NAZ initiated the ...